accommodations
We have secured accommodations for you Thursday and Friday nights (May 15-16) at the Courtyard Marriott, a downtown Memphis hotel property.
You will receive hotel information and your confirmation number in your email inbox in early May.
Shuttle transportation will be provided to and from the hotels/Liberty Park (event site). Shuttle pickups & dropoffs will happen in the hotels’ shared driveway and will be indicated by an A-Frame sign.
Transportation
For transportation to and from Memphis International Airport, we recommend Uber, Lyft, or taxi. Memphis has surprisingly few rideshare options given its size, so it might be easier to hail a taxi than to schedule an Uber on a notoriously busy weekend.
Transportation to and from all official events will be run by EventOps, primarily via shuttle buses. Signage will be located in the hotel lobby to indicate pickup/drop-off sites, and there will be an EventOps staff member on hand to help facilitate. All vehicles will have credentials clearly displayed.
Weather
The predicted high during Memphis in May is 82°, and the average low is 62°; however, the exact weather is notoriously unpredictable this time of year. There is typically a chance of a late spring rain shower, and the humidity can be quite high.
suggested dress
Comfort and adaptability will be key. This year, the WCBCC is taking place in Liberty Park, much of which is tailgating sites and parking for the University of Memphis Tigers’ Liberty Bowl Stadium. The Cattlemen’s tent space will be situated on asphalt, but do not wear your finest shoes! Temperatures should be warm but not unbearable; there will be ample fans and misters in and around the hospitality suite. Definitely bring a rain jacket just in case.
The hotel is within walking distance to some but not all downtown restaurants and bars. Walking extensive distances alone at night is not advised for safety reasons, but you may want to wear comfortable shoes after hours to more easily walk from place to place. Ride shares can sometimes be limited in Memphis, and downtown is expected to be quite busy this weekend.
Credentials
You will need a pass at all times to access the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and you will need further credentials to gain entry into the Cattlemen’s hospitality suite.
Credentials will be available for pickup starting at 12pm Thursday, May 15, in a reserved room just off the lobby of the Courtyard Memphis Downtown.
If you need credentials prior to this time, someone from McCormick will be in touch to coordinate.
Schedule
For a detailed schedule of the weekend’s events, please navigate to the Schedule page.
Questions?
Your main point of contact will be our Memphis-based event partner, EventOps. Closer to the event date, you will receive a dedicated concierge phone number for time-sensitive questions. Until then, you can email EventOps at info[at]eventops[dot]com.